Sonic X : The Next Story ORIGINAL
by Jo-Faythe
Summary: Everyone has a story, and each story is unique like its writer. They vary in length, in how they are told, and in the events that take place. But sometimes... A story will end too soon... -NO LONGER UPDATED-
1. Prologue

_Sonic X - The Next Story_

_Everyone has a story, and each story is unique like its writer. They vary in length, in how they are told, and in the events that take place. But sometimes... A story will end too soon. That is what happened to me, and that is what will happen to my daughter if you do not help her._

_You, who have been chosen to protect my daughter... Your special powers will play a key role... when the time comes. Her fate... lies in your hands._

_xXxXx_

_Is this the afterlife? No... it can't be. How can I still be alive after all that has happened? It... it doesn't make any sense!_

Standing on a cliff overlooking a vast forest, was a black and red hedgehog many believed had died.

_Why have I been given yet another chance? All I do is cause harm to all those who are close to me..._

On top of the cliff was a small makeshift grave, with a single red rose placed on it.

_First it was Maria... Then Molly... Now it was Cosmo! Why do I continue living if everyone who knows me will die?_

On the horizon, the sun was just starting to peak out from behind the trees, signaling the start of a new day.

_What is my true purpose? Someone tell me already! Maria, send me a sign... Why must I keep living like this?!_

"The sunrise... Doesn't it look beautiful?"

The black hedgehog was so lost in his own little world that he hadn't noticed someone standing beside him.

"My momma used to say... "When the sun rises, it's the start of someone's journey!" And today... My journey is starting!"

He looked at the albino hedgehog standing beside him, staring at the sunrise. She was no taller than three feet. She wore a tight green t-shirt and yellow sweat pants and carried a blue backpack with her. When she looked at him, his fiery crimson eyes met with her innocent sky blue eyes.

_Her eyes... They... They're just like Maria's! Is this my sign?_

"You look a little lost. Is something bothering you?" She sincerly asked.

The black hedgehog immediately snapped out of his trance and came back to reality. "It... it's nothing. You shouldn't sneak up on people."

"Oh, I'm sorry! How rude of me!" She replied while scratching the back of her neck. "I have a tendancy to do that... Sorry if I scared you!"

"It's... okay. Just try not to do that too often. A lot of people don't like when someone just appears out of nowhere."

The albino grinned sheepishly, still scratching the back her neck. "Sorry..."

He looked at the albino more closely. Her entire body was pure white, except for those brilliant blue eyes. Her long bangs were swept over to the left side of her head, held in place by a small yellow flower clip. She had three spines on her head: One at the center of her head that was held up with a yellow ribbon, while the other two were at either side, pointing downward and going no farther than her shoulders. Why did she seem so familiar?

"Umm... are you SURE you're okay? You're really zoning out on me..." She questioned again, that same sincerity in her voice.

There was a few seconds of silence between the two as he tried to explain what was going through his mind, but that soon changed.

"HALT! Do not move or else we will attack!"

The two looked behind them. The albino's innocent eyes filled with fear at what she saw.

"I-i-impossible! Th... there's no way you c-could have...!" She stuttered, but was cut off by his hand coming in front of her. He stared straight ahead at his enemies: at least ten of them, all wearing knight's armor and wielding swords.

"Do not try anything! We will attack!" The leader of the pack screamed. He raised his sword, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

This did not bother the black hedgehog. He had survived a genocide, falling to earth from space, and his recent Chaos Control incident. To him, the swords dulled in comparison. But he was concerned about the girl. Why did they chase her here? What did they want with her? No matter the reason, something inside told him... He must protect this girl at any cost. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

In an instant, he had grabbed the girl and brought her close to him. The knights immediately charged, but that did not scare him. He felt the girl shaking in fear, so he held her tighter in an attempt to silently tell her that everything was going to be alright. He summoned his strength, and in a split second, the two were gone. All they left behind was a group of puzzled knights wondering where they were and how they got away.

XxxX

**Next Time in "The Next Story"...**

**Shadow finally introduces himself and learns the name of his new albino companion. The girl thanks him for his help, and asks another favor of him. Shadow accepts, and is taken along for a journey of lost truths, hidden lies, and discovery of both himself, what happened to him, and why the albino hedgehog is so important!**

XxxX

_Author's comments: Wow, I finally did it. I wrote the prologue for The Next Story! Yaaay~_

_Anyways, next up is chapter one of both Calamity and Story, so I won't make any promises, but I should have them up in a couple of weeks if all goes well. (crosses fingers)_


	2. Chapter 1 : JOURNEY START

Chapter One : JOURNEY... START

"_Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be... Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live like you never lived before."_

_~Erich Fromm_

XxxX

The black and white hedgehogs stood flat against the cliff face on a small ledge, both not daring to make a move or sound, for fear of being caught by the knights above them. Only once the sounds of frantic searching and yelling disappeared did they dared to step out from their hiding place. The black one was the first to step out, checking to guarantee that there was no one else was around before he would let the albino out of hiding. He looked up at where the knights had been moments ago, then signaled to the albino that all was safe. She breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed, trying to calm her still shaking nerves.

It took a few moments before the black hedgehog worked up the courage to break the slightly awkward silence between them. "Who were those guys?" He asked, hoping for any sort of answer from the white one.

She took a deep breath, got herself standing, and dusted herself off before replying.

"They're called the 'High Knights.' They serve under the Elite Knights in the Round Table. Now it's my turn to ask questions. Who are you, and how did you do that... warping thing?"

"My name... Is Shadow the Hedgehog, and I warped us here using my ability, Chaos Control. What's your name?"

"My name is Ariana! A pleasure to officially meet you, Shadow! Thank you for saving me from those knights."

She politely bowed and smiled at Shadow, and he couldn't help but smile himself. Something about her... It felt familiar somehow. And he somehow knew as long as she was smiling... He knew everything would be alright. He made a secret promise with himself to protect that special smile.

"Um.... Shadow? Can I ask for a favor?"

"I guess. What do you need?"

"Well... I told you I was going a journey, right? I was hoping I could get there by myself without any problems, but with the knights involved... Could you please take me to Capital City on Soleanna Island?"

Capital City? Soleanna Island? He had never heard of those places before. He was definitely not on Earth or in the Green Hill Zone. But just _where _was he?

"To tell the truth, I wouldn't be able to take you there... But I could certainly accompany you there."

Ariana sunk to the ground again, not very happy with his joke.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"What? I was only telling the truth." He smirked. He didn't know why he did that. Being around her... he felt like he could loosen up around her. There was no need to be so uptight and professional with her. He could joke around with her.

_Maria... I haven't felt like this in a long time. Did you send me an 'angel'...?_

"Shadow! You're zoning out on me AGAIN! Are you absolutely SURE you're okay?" Her eyes were once again worried about her traveling companion.

Shadow once again found himself suddenly back in reality, and saw Ariana's concern for him. Her smile was gone. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Now, where exactly is this 'Capital City' you want to go to...?"

"Capital City, Soleanna Island! The capital of Soleanna, on Soleanna Island!"

"You don't say..." Shadow chuckled. He could already tell he was going to have a lot of fun being around her.

Ariana was obviously irritated. Her checks puffed up like an angry four-year-old's, and she crossed her arms.

"You're hopeless! Get us down from here and I'll lead you to Capital City myself!" she declared.

Shadow chuckled again. "As you wish!"

In a split second, Shadow had Ariana in his arms, and he jumped off the cliff. Her screams were caught in her throat, and reflex had her holding onto Shadow as tight as possible. A few second later, they landed on the forest's ground, and he gently put her down.

"You... You fool! Why did you do that!?" She yelled at him, once again angry at him for doing something so stupid and brash.

"You wanted to get off the cliff's edge, right? I think it was YOU who said "Get us down from here!"" He replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Her checks puffed up once again. She turned ninety degrees to the left on her heel and starting heading forward.

_Heh... I don't remember the last time I was like this... But it feels good. I have the feeling that this journey... will be a fun one. And one that both of us will remember for the rest of our lives._

"Hey, Ari! Wait up for me! We don't want those knights to get their hands on you!" He yelled out, running after her.

"... Ari? My name's Ariana." She replied back, a little surprised at what the black one had called her.

"'Ariana' is a bit of a mouthful, don't you think? I think I'll just call you Ari for short... Of course, if you don't like it..."

A small, sincere smile crept onto Ariana's face. "No, Ari's just fine. No one's ever given me a 'nick name' before. I like it... 'Ari'... Short and sweet."

"Just like you."

"I'm not short!"

_Yes... This journey will be fun... I can't wait to see what will happen next!_

XxxX

**Next time on The Next Story...**

**Shadow is curious about Ariana, her past, and her connection to him, but he has no time to ponder that as they run into Sir Samuel, leader of the Blue Knights at Safire Lake! Fighting Sir Samuel in his territory will not be easy, but Shadow is determined without a doubt to protect Ari. But how can he do that when fighting his greatest fear? Find out next time in Chapter Two: The Great Lake Battle!**

XxxX

_Author's Comments:__ Chapter One... DONE! Wheeee~ I didn't think I could upload two chapters within days of each other! But I did it! I wonder how long this will last...?_

_Comments appreciated! Any questions will be answered! Plot suggestions will be considered! Criticism accepted!_

_News on Next Calamity:__ It will be updated as time permits. I have NINE HOURS of Sonic Next Gen play-through to go through! Things should be easier now that I have the OFFICIAL SONIC NEXT GEN SCRIPT ON MY COMPUTER (courtesy of the Sonic Cult), but still... I need to get Microsoft Office on my computer again before I can go through it... (it's in .xcl format)_

_Thank you, and good night! (goes to sleep)_


	3. Chapter 2 : The Great Lake Battle!

_Okay, from now on before every chapter, I will answer questions, respond to comments and the like that I received in my reviews here!_

_**CrazyNutSquirrel: **__I've updated! Happy? Glad you're enjoying the story!_

_Questions? Comments? Ideas? Please review!_

**Chapter 2 : The Great Lake Battle!**

"_Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing."_

_~Unknown_

XxxX

It had been over twenty-four hours since Ari and Shadow had begun their journey. They had traveled for most of that time, only stopping for a few hours for sleep in a dark cave in the forest. During that entire time they made small talk; Ari did most of the talking, explaining how things were in Soleanna and describing Capital City to Shadow. Although he tried to listen, his mind kept wandering to other places. He couldn't stop thinking about how he knew Ari, and why he felt so... happy around her. But there was something more to her than what he knew. He just wanted to know what.

The two were now at a clearing with a large, deep blue lake in the center. A few trees and bushes provided berries and fruit to eat, so Ari suggested that the two stop for breakfast... or lunch. Neither one of them knew what time of day it was, but their stomachs reminded them that they hadn't eaten in a long time. They picked some fruit from the trees, found some rocks to sit on, and ate. There wasn't much chatter between them as Ari nibbled on the round and green fruit, while Shadow quickly went through two large red pear-shaped berries. He stared out at the lake, admiring its beauty. But something told him that something was off. The lake wasn't safe.

"Ari... Do you know where we are?"

She quickly finished her fruit and answered. "This is Safire Lake, home to many Chao and Gaias! Speaking of which, I wonder where they all are...This place should be filled with them! The water's shallow and clean, there's so much food to be found..."

_This place is a Chao garden? Then where are all the Chao? And what's a Gaia?_

"Ari, we should get out of here quick. If there's no Chao left... Then this isn't safe. Let's go!" He grabbed her arm and started to run, but a small earthquake and a large wave of water cut off their escape route.

"You believe you can simply run away from what is coming to you? I think not! Prepare to meet your end, accursed black one!"

The two looked at the center of the lake. Standing on top of the water was a knight in blue armor.

"Shadow! It's a blue knight! We have to get out of here, there's no way we can defeat him in his element!" Ari said, looking around for a place to escape to.

"I told you, there is no running away! The black one... must die! And by my blade he shall!" The blue knight yelled before attacking. He rode a wave of water towards the two, his blade ready to strike. Shadow brought Ari close to him, and warped to the other side of the lake.

"Ari, find someplace to hide! It isn't safe for you here!" He said, letting her go while pushing her towards the forest. "Run for it!"

"No one shall escape from me, Sir Samuel the Blue Knight!" The knight screamed, summoning a wall of water to surround the clearing. The rushing water wall was too powerful for even Shadow to pass, and he didn't have enough Chaos Energy to warp them onto the other side. They were both trapped.

_Dammit... Not only is he in his element... I... I can't fight him! But... I have to. For Ari's sake, I must fight my greatest fear!_

XxxX

_ It was like any other day on the ARK. Scientists were scrambling around, observing this or analyzing that; the children that lived there were playing with a new shipment of toys from Earth; and Shadow was undergoing another multitude of battle simulations to test his abilities._

_ "Okay Shadow. This is the last one for today." Gerald Robotnik's voice echoed in the chamber where Shadow stood. "The task is simple. Get to the other side of the room and get the Power Ring. You'll have to cross the lake though!"_

_ The floor shook as it parted to reveal a large pool about fifty meters across and five meters deep. It took up the entire width of the room, so there was no walking around it. Shadow would have to find a way to cross it to get to the glowing gold ring on the other side._

_ 'No way around it. I guess I'll just run over it!' Shadow thought. With his speed, it should have been simple enough._

_ He backed up as far as he could go and took a starting position. After shaking off a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he took off, determined to complete his training so he could be with Maria. Everything started off good, but for some reason he couldn't stay on top of the water. He soon found himself at the bottom of the pool with no air and panicking. He tried to get to the surface, but to no avail. He blacked out, and later found himself in the infirmary with both Maria and Gerald Robotnik by his side. Ever since that day he had feared the water, and no one ever forced him to do water training since, so he never learned to swim. That became one of his few weaknesses._

XxxX

"Shadow, look out!"

He was so lost in his past memories that he didn't notice another large wave of water coming towards him. He braced himself for impact but was pushed aside. He fell to the ground and saw the blue wave crash down where he was just moments ago. His eyes grew wide in terror as the thought of Ariana being caught by the wave entered his mind. His fear was relieved when a few seconds later he saw her sitting in a tree, completely dry and unharmed. She also breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that the crashing wave didn't hit her traveling companion.

"No, no, no! Fine then, I guess I'll just have to use different tactics to take you down!" The blue knight cried out, surrounding himself with a whirlwind of water. It slowly grew larger and larger, emptying the lake in the process. "Behold my strongest attack! You shall not survive!"

The water tornado was soon tall enough to touch the clouds and half as wide as the lake. It seemed to grow larger as it slowly made its way towards the black hedgehog that simply stood still, not knowing what to do.

_I don't have any Chaos Energy left… I'm not strong enough by myself. But… I have to fight to protect Ari! I cannot lose!_

"Shadow!"

He looked up at the direction of the voice that called him. He saw the albino running towards him with something small shining in her hand.

"Ari, I told you to go someplace safe! It's too dangerous here! Run away!!" He pleaded, trying to stop her from getting in the path of the looming tornado, which was now only twenty feet away. It didn't work as she simply picked up speed.

"Use this!" She yelled, throwing the glowing object towards him.

He caught it and instantly felt energized. A dark, but no evil energy pulsed through him, surrounding him with a black aura. He stared at the tornado that was ten feet away, then ran towards it with incredible speed. He dashed through it, bringing the blue knight out with him on the other side. The tornado instantly dissipated. Most of the water gently rained down on the arena, while the rest came down in bucketfuls into the lake where Shadow and Sir Samuel stood face to face in ankle-deep water. The knight's armor faded away, revealing a white bird with short upward facing spines tipped with blue. His outfit consisted of a blue and gray vest, shorts, and gloves; blue and white knee high boots; and black and white goggles over his beady black eyes. The two stood in silence for a long time before Sir Samuel spoke up.

"You... are strong. Butt the other high knights... are stronger. You may have... defeated me, but one of the others... will deliver you to your doom." With that final statement the knight collapsed but was caught by Shadow who dragged him to the shore where Ari awaited and laid him down there.

"Is he...?" Ari started, but was cut off by Shadow.

"He's alive, but he'll be out for a while. He put all his energy into that final attack. Thanks to you, I was able to defeat him." He said while looking at the black gem on a gold chain that Ari had given him. "What exactly is this thing?"

Ari blushed at the compliment, then explained: "That is a black Soul Gem! People say that the Soul Gems five power to those who need it. I have one too..." She searched her pant's pockets and pulled out a necklace similar to Shadow's and showed it to him. "See? My Soul Gem's white."

He smiled while putting the necklace around his neck, which caused Ari's smile to shine brighter.

_You really look like an angel. I'm glad I decided to go with you. You're teaching me... that life CAN be good. You've given me... the power to overcome my fears. Thank you... I can never repay you for all that you've done for me, but the least I can do... is get you to Capital City safely. I don't know how many times I've said this, but I will protect you. As long as you smile... All is good._

XxxX

**Next time in "The Next Story"...**

**Shadow and Ari end up saving a young child from an avalanche, and the people of his village convince them to at least stay in the village for a few days so they can find a way to repay them for their bravery. Sadly, their wonderful day turns into a dangerous night a both the Green Knight Sir Trevor and Red Knight Sir Christopher lure the two travelers underground and attack! Shadow is certain he can battle the two alone, but when he is quickly overwhelmed, will he accept the fact that he needs help? Find out next time in "Dual Tactics: Fire and Earth"!**

XxxX

_Author's closing comments: THREE CHAPTERS IN FOUR DAYS?! (passes out from shock, quickly recovers)_

_Let's see how long I can keep this going! I like it!_

_To those who visit my main page: Please vote in the poll I posted!_

_Perfection News:__ My dad found nine pages worth of "Perfection" drafts, so I'll see what I can do for the Mega Man fans! I won't promise much, but I'll try to start by re-writing the prologue and improving on it. Then I'll try to get around to finally finishing chapter one. Like I said, I won't promise much, but I'll try._


	4. Chapter 3 Part 1

_Hey everyone~ Trying to update fast, but my chapters keep getting longer and longer!_

_**CrazyNutSquirrel:**__ Glad I'm keeping you happy! And it does feel great to update fast, but it also puts a little pressure on me to keep updating fast, and when my chapters keep getting longer and longer, it get's harder to update as fast. Although I've averaged out that I can upload chapters within 2 to 5 days of each other as long as time permits. Enough with the rants, I hope I didn't keep you hanging too long. If I did, so sorry. I'll keep trying to upload fast!_

_Questions? Comments? Concerns? Critiques? Well, review or PM then! I'll never know if you don't tell me! Also, my poll is still open and will be open for a loooooooong time! Please vote! I'm curious about who YOU would like to see in my Sonic X series!_

**Chapter 3 : Dual Tactics : Fire and Earth**

"_Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."_

_~Unknown_

XxxX

"It's official. We're lost."

"We're not lost! We're… wandering!"

"I still say we're lost."

Shadow and Ari were bickering while walking through scattered trees and a thin layer of snow. It wasn't very cold as long as the sun was shining and the wind didn't blow.

"We are NOT lost, we're taking the long way around, remember?"

"Whatever. I'm not the one who put the roadblock on the main road."

XxxX

_Ari stood in a tree watching various small animals play while her companion Shadow went ahead to see if it was safe to go ahead. He returned a few minutes later and delivered the verdict._

_ "There's a security check up ahead. Considering what we've been through, I doubt we'll get past. Do you know any other roads we can take?"_

_ "There is one… through the mountains. I don't quite know where the road is, but I'm sure the villagers can help us!" Ari replied while jumping down from the tree which caused a few of the nearby flickies to fly away._

_ "I thought we were going to avoid people, towns and the like."_

_ "Mountain villages are secluded from the rest of Soleanna, so we'll be fine~" she chimed, with that large toothy grin on her face._

_ "I still think we should avoid the villages."_

_ "Would you prefer to test your luck at the security check?" She grinned, starting off in the direction from which he came, but was quickly stopped by Shadow grabbing her arm._

_ "To the mountains we go…" He sighed, dragging her off towards the mountain range to the left of the road. Ari chuckled at Shadow's sudden change in attitude._

_ "I knew you would see things my way eventually…" She whispered to herself._

XxxX

"Shadow, the ground's shaking…"

He snapped out of his past once again and focused on the situation at hand. Although he couldn't feel it, he could hear the low rumbling slowly grow louder. He looked up the mountain and saw the cause rushing towards them in the form of an avalanche.

"Oh sh-" He muttered, grabbing Ari and taking off down the mountain. She grabbed him tighter as he tried to outrun the fast-moving wave of snow that was quickly catching up. It seemed the faster he ran, the faster the snow caught up with him.

_No way to outrun it? I guess I'll have to find shelter somewhere..._

"Shadow, look! There's someone ahead!" Ari cried, pointing at a small gray-beige goat boy wearing a dark red snowsuit with his back to them. Shadow noticed him and a near-by rock that stuck out of the mountain at an upward angle, so without warning he sped up, grabbed the boy by the arm and dashed underneath the rock, holding both Ari and the boy close to him as the snow tumbled over them. The danger soon passed as the ground stopped shaking and the snow slowed to a stop a few hundred meters down. Both Ari and Shadow breathed a sigh of relief as everything calmed down.

The goat boy stared at the two with curiosity in his eyes, not fully understanding what had happened. He made a few strange signs with his hands and traced a question mark in the air with his right pointer finger. Shadow didn't fully understand what the boy was trying to ask, but Ari caught on right away.

"He's deaf. He probably didn't hear the avalanche..." She said, making some hand signs of her own, which was followed by the boy making different hand signs. "He says his name is Jael. He says 'thank you' for saving him from the avalanche. He wants to take us to his village so we can be thanked properly by his family."

"I never knew you could speak with your hands..." Shadow started, but was cut off by Ari.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, but we'll discuss that later. We should get Jael back home. His parents are probably worried sick about him..." She made a few more hand signs, and Jael perked up, grabbing her hand and leading her towards his home. Shadow followed behind the two and pondered Ariana's words.

_There is a lot I don't know about you, and I know that... but I want to know you better..._

XxxX

"Jael!" Cried a pair of goat siblings, running up to greet Jael and his heroes as he entered the village. Several others joined them, checking over Jael to see if he was hurt, hugging him, and meeting the two who had saved his life.

"What happened?" "An avalanche?" "No way!" "Are you okay?" "Are you hurt?" "Please, let us reward you for your bravery!" were just a few of the things said to the duo.

"Everyone, move aside! Crowding is no way to treat heroes!" Came a loud and booming voice. The crowd instantly parted, revealing a large light gray-beige ram with large pale yellow horns and gold eyes that wore a black gloves, boots, and belt with a gold buckle and a dark red shirt. It was easy to tell that the ram was Jael's father. Standing beside him was a not as tall female gray-white goat with blue eyes wearing a long red-pink wool dress and white boots. Together they walked up to Ari and Shadow, and politely bowed to them.

"Welcome to our small village. I am Ari, and this is my wife Aja. We are Jael's parents." The ram stated.

"Um, hi." Ariana started, returning the bow. "My name is Ariana, and this is my friend Shadow."

"Well, Ariana and Shadow, we must reward you for your act of bravery! If it wasn't for you, Jael would most likely not be with us right now." Aja said. "Heroes must be rewarded with the finest."

"I'm sorry, but we should leave right away…" Shadow started, but was interrupted by Ari the Ram putting his large hand on Shadow's shoulders.

"Nonsense! I won't hear of it. We shall celebrate, for my son was saved from death's hands by Aurora's guardians! We shall feast and party for days! As I have said, as will be done!" The citizens erupted with cheering and chanted the names of the heroes as they were lead to the center of the village.

XxxX

It was amazing how fast everything was set up: the large tables, the decorations put on the homes, the food…

For the next twelve hours there was non-stop celebration. There was a large feast, a parade, and many displays of wonderful talent for the two heroes. Although at fist he didn't like it, Shadow soon found himself warming up to the villagers and finally, he was truly enjoying himself.

After all was done and everyone had headed home for the night, Ari the Ram invited the two heroes over to his house.

XxxX

Ari the Ram, his wife Aja, Shadow, Ariana and Jael sat around a large wooden table inside a large dining room, drinking tea and discussing what happened nearly twelve hours ago.

"Yes, there have been a lot of avalanches lately. There have already been three fatalities from our village alone, and luckily Jael was not one of them." Ari the Ram said, taking a sip of his tea.

"So Jael got lucky. If we hadn't been there… I don't want to think about what would have happened." Ariana replied.

"Exactly. You may have noticed already, but Jael is deaf. He can't hear anything." Aja said, looking at Jael who was nibbling on a piece of bannock. "You must be exhausted. Please do stay the night. It's the least we can do for you."

"We really shouldn't… You've done so much for us already; staying the night would be too much." Said Shadow, who was staring at the door, hoping to leave right away.

"How many times must I say it? You will stay the night! After everything that has happened, it is the absolute least we can do." Ari the Ram stated, obviously not taking "no" for an answer. Knowing that he wasn't going to win this argument, Shadow just gave in.

XxxX

_Author's Comments: I'm going to upload this chapter in two parts: this part and the battle later on. Sorry this took so long to write, but I tried to finish the draft before typing and it just took WAAAAAY too long. So… yeah. I'm on Spring break now, so I should have the next part and Chapter 4 up within the next week if we don't end up going to the States. Again, so sorry this took sooooo freaking looooooooooooong…_

_Shadow the Hedgehog's Comment: STOP APOLOGIZING AND GET WRITING YOU LAZY PERSON._

_Author's Reply: Fine fine fine you impatient hedgehog…_

_Closing Statement: OHOHOH WE FINALLY SOLD THE HOUSE!!! That means we're moving sometime in May, and I probably won't be able to write for a few weeks before and after the move. But when I do return from my temporary HITATUS, I'll have a few chapters to upload. Okay? Okay. Don't forget to vote in my poll!_


	5. Chapter 3 Part 2

_Okay, what you've all been waiting for! (I think…)_

_**CrazyNutSquirrel: **__I love to write, but I'm always bouncing around ideas, so it's hard to get it down on paper (or Word Document) sometimes. I also type (on average) 100 words a minute (last time I checked) but when you're editing and the like WHILE typing... That's a whole `nother story._

_My plans for Silver? Being an avid fangirl myself, it would break my heart to leave him out of my fanfics. He is currently one of three main characters in "The Next Calamity" (the prologue is posted here and on my deviantART account, and I'm currently working on Act 1 in my spare time), and I'm trying to find room in my chapters for either cameos or his own little appearance/tie-in/crossover with "The Next Generation" (the fourth in my Sonic X series, this one is the second). If you're asking about the actual anime/show, beats me. I don't work at TMS Entertainment._

**Chapter Three: Dual Tactics: Fire and Earth (Part 2)**

"_Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."_

_~Unknown_

XxxX

Shadow lay in the large bed he was given for the night and though about the day's events while trying to drift off to sleep.

_I guess the roadblock was a hidden blessing for all of us. We saved Jael from that avalanche, which made the entire village happy. Ariana and I made new friends today… And I truly enjoyed myself. Maybe staying here wasn't such a bad idea after all…_

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. His eyes shot open and he jumped out of the bed. He heard more noises: furniture falling over, snapping wood, muffled yells and commands. Instinct took over as Shadow rushed out of the room and darted though the halls trying to pinpoint the location of the commotion. As he got closer the sounds got louder and the voices got clearer.

"Don't you think... it was too much?"

"It was for the best..."

"Come on, we're screwed if we're caught!"

"No one will know... Let's hurry."

He came up to Ariana's room door. The voices ere definitely behind it. He tried the doorknob first, but it was locked.

"Oh sh-"

"Let's get out of here!"

_Oh no you don't!_

Without hesitation he kicked down the door, but it was too late. All that was left was a room in shambles: furniture was everywhere, tossed and flipped; there was a chair on the floor broken into several pieces; pillows and blankets were all over the place; there was shattered glass below the broken window; and there was muddy footprints all over.

_Ariana! No... I knew we shouldn't have stayed. If we had moved on none of this would be happening..._

Just as Ari the Ram and his wife walked into the warzone Shadow jumped out the window, following the footprints left behind by whoever caused the mess. Aja tried calling after him, but Shadow's mind was already made up. He had to find Ariana.

XxxX

Deep within a cave in the mountainside was Ariana – unharmed, but tied up – and her two captors - two brown moles - sitting around a small fire. The lighter brown mole wore a red t-shirt, gloves, runners and faded blue jeans. The darker brown mole wore torn brown gloves and hunting boots, a green mud-covered muscle shirt and torn black pants. They spoke quietly to one another, but not quietly enough as Ariana still overheard them.

"Don't you think this was a little much? I mean, seriously. Breaking into someone's home... Couldn't we have just discussed the situation to them in private?" The lighter colored mole started.

"You know as well as me that those villagers wouldn't have handed over the girl no matter what we told them! This was our only option!"

"I just wish it wasn't so painful... For such a small girl, she has a powerful swing!"

"Suck it up, sissy!"

_Small?! Oh, I can do more than just swing hard! _She thought, anger glowing in her eyes. She looked around and saw a hand-sized stone laying behind the darker moles head.

_BINGO!_

She focused on the rock, and saw a blue-green aura surround it. It lifted up off the ground and rocketed towards the back of the darker mole's head. As soon as it made contact with a resound "thunk" the aura disappeared and the stone dropped to the ground.

"Ow! What the hell was that? Christopher, that better not have been you!" The dark colored mole exclaimed. The lighter colored mole just looked at him and sighed.

"Whatever you think I did, I didn't do. If something hit you, it might have been a falling rock, you mud-brain."

Ariana giggled quietly to herself while struggling to get out of the tight ropes around her wrists and ankles.

_Okay, as soon as I'm out of these ropes, I'm outta here._

XxxX

Following the muddy footprints on the ground, Shadow came upon a cave on the outskirts of town lit by something inside. He stared at it for a few seconds, and was preparing to attack when Ari the Ram came up to him.

"Shadow, wait. At least let me assist you if you plan to go after them!"

"I can do this alone. The less who are involved, the better." And with that he charged, leaving Ari the Ram behind.

_I'm coming for you Ariana! I just hope... I'm not too late._

XxxX

Only a few minutes had gone by and already Ariana could feel her hard work paying off as the ropes around her wrist loosened.

"Haha," she spoke quietly to herself. "I'll be out of here in no time, and then they'll pay for what they did to me."

"Don't think your little 'games' have gone unnoticed, girl."

She looked up, and her sky blue eyes met the light colored mole's firey red ones. She was shocked, but managed to shake off the building nervousness in her body and kept her cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied, her blank gaze unwavering.

"Don't try to hide it. You threw that rock at my brother. Your hands are tied, so you didn't literally throw it, and Trevor would have sensed if it was earth-bending. So how did you do it? Another kind of power? Perhaps... psychokinesis?"

She didn't know what happened. It was like that one word unleashed a hidden power inside of her that she had no control over. The light colored mole was suddenly surrounded with a blue-green aura and thrown at the cave's wall. When she finally got a hold of herself her head was screaming in pain. A brown blur raced towards her, then something hit her face.

"I don't care who or what you are. I don't care that we were told to bring you back alive. When you hurt my brother, you pay for it dearly!" Came a voice from the blur. It grab Ariana by her hair and lifted her off the ground, causing the already splitting migraine to intensify ten-fold. It was too much. She couldn't hold back the ear splitting scream, she couldn't hold back her tears. She struggled to reach the ground, but she was too high up. She was helpless. She was weak. Just like so many times before that, she couldn't do anything but hope and wait for it to end.

XxxX

_Author's Closing Comments: For my sake and for everyone else's sake, this will be split into a third and possibly a fourth part (depending how long the next part is and/or how busy I am). Hopefully I haven't been keeping you waiting TOO long again... I know I said I would have two chapters over my Spring Break, but life can be a dog, so that didn't happen like I hoped it would. So sorry..._

_Shadow the Hedgehog: Quit your whining and get writing, I WANT TO BATTLE!_

_Author: Fine fine fine you mean and impatient hedgehog I can't help but love... Waaaah... (sulks in corner)._


End file.
